Petunia plant named &#39;petelred&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Petunia  plant named ‘Petelred’ characterized by its trailing, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit, freely branching habit, freely flowering habit, single flowers that are rose-burgundy in color, and good garden performance.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

Petunia hybrida

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘Petelred’

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant botanically known as Petunia hybrida and referred to by the cultivar name ‘Petelred.’

The new Petunia is the product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new Petunia cultivar is freely flowering with trailing and spreading plant habit and attractive leaf and flower coloration.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the inventor in August 2000 of a proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida identified as code number ‘A 902’ not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida identified as code number ‘Y 953,’ not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Enkhuizen, Netherlands in June 2001.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings since June 2001, in Enkhuizen, Netherlands has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar ‘Petelred’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Petelred.’ These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Petelred’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Trailing, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit     -   2. Freely branching habit     -   3. Freely flowering habit     -   4. Single flowers that are rose-burgundy in color     -   5. Good garden performance

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the Petunia named ‘Petelred’ differed from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristic:

-   -   1. Plants of the Petunia named ‘Petelred’ have rose-burgundy         flowers whereas flowers of the female parent selection are rose.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the Petunia named ‘Petelred’ differed from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristic:

1. Plants of the Petunia named ‘Petelred’ and the male parent selection differed in habit. The plants of the Petunia named ‘Petelred’ are more mounded whereas the plants of the male parent selection are more trailing. TABLE 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW CULTIVAR ‘PETELRED’ AND A SIMILAR CULTIVAR Surfinia Crazy Pink ‘Sunrovein’ ‘Petelred’ (U.S. Plant Patent No. 16,468) Flower Color more dark/strong Petal color less dark/strong Earliness Earlier Later Plant habit Slightly mounding More flat plant habit

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Petunia.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The observations and measurements describe plants grown in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands, practice circumstances indoor in hanging baskets of diameter 25 cm during the early Spring with day temperatures ranging from 14 to 16° C., night temperatures ranging from 12 to 14° C. Plants used for the photographs and description were about 10 weeks from planting rooted cuttings.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   The plant:     -   -   Classification.—Botanical: Petunia hybrida.         -   Parentage.—Female parent: Proprietary selection of Petunia             hybrida identified as code number ‘A 902,’ not patented —             Male parent: Proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida             identified as code number ‘Y 953,’ not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—Summer and winter: About 12 days at             20° C.         -   Time to develop roots, summer R.—About 21 days at 20° C.         -   Time to develop roots, winter.—About 28 days at 16° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; initially             upright, then trailing and outwardly spreading; uniformly             mounded plant form. Freely branching habit; about ten basal             branches each with about five to seven lateral branches.             Pinching enhances development of lateral branches.         -   Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio             containers, and landscape applications.         -   Plant height.—About 15 cm.         -   Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 55 cm.         -   Vigor.—Vigorous; rapid growth rate.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm — Diameter: About 4.5             mm — Internode length: About 2-3 cm — Texture: Pubescent —             Color: 144C.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate before             flowering; opposite after flowers develop; simple — Length:             About 6.5 cm — Width: About 3.7 cm — Shape: Broad elliptic —             Apex: Broadly acute — Base: Attenuate — Margin: Entire —             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent;             glandular — Venation pattern: Pinnate, arcuate.         -   Color.—Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper surface:             147A-B — Developing and fully expanded leaves, lower             surface: 147B — Venation, lower surface: 147C — Petiole             length: About 10 mm — Petiole diameter: About 3 mm — Petiole             color, upper and lower surfaces: 144B — Petiole texture:             Sparsely pubescent. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single salverform flowers; flowers             face mostly upward and outward; axillary. Freely flowering             habit, about two to three open flowers and about three             flower buds per lateral branch at a time.         -   Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; long             flowering period, spring until frost in the autumn;             flowering continuous during this period. Plants start             flowering about eight weeks after planting rooted cuttings.             Flowers persistent.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About seven to ten days.         -   Fragrance.—Faint, sweet.         -   Flower size.—Diameter: About 6 cm — Tube length: About 3.5             cm — Throat diameter, distal end: About 1.5 cm — Tube             diameter, proximal end: About 3 mm         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 4.2 cm — Diameter: About 8 mm —             Shape: Elongated oblong with ruffled apices — Color: Darker             than N79A, greyer.         -   Petals.—Quantity/arrangement: About five petals fused in a             single whorl, funnel form — Length from throat: About 2.5 cm             — Width: About 3 cm — Shape: Roughly fan-shaped — Apex:             Retuse — Margin: Slightly dentated — Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, velvety         -   Color.—When opening, upper surface: Much deeper than 58A;             venation N79A — When opening, lower surface: 64C with lots             of veins; venation N77A — Fully opened, upper surface: Much             deeper than 58A; venation N79A — Fully opened, lower             surface: 64C with lots of veins; venation N77A — Flower             throat (inside): N79B — Flower tube (outside): N79B —             Venation, throat: N79A — Venation, tube: N77A.         -   Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals             fused at base, star-shaped — Length: About 1.5 cm — Width:             About 7 mm — Shape: Ligulate — Apex: Rounded — Margin:             Entire — Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent —             Color, upper surface: 147A — Color, lower surface: 147A         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 3.3 cm — Width: About 2 mm — Angle:             About 45 to 60° from the stem — Strength: Strong — Texture:             Pubescent — Color: 144A         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens, quantity per flower: About             five — Anther shape: Ovoid — Anther size: About 1.5 mm by 2             mm — Anther color: 159B — Pollen amount: Scarce — Pollen             color: 159B — Pistils, quantity per flower: One — Pistil             length: About 1.9 cm — Style length: About 1.8 cm — Style             color: 144D — Stigma shape: Anvil-shaped — Stigma color:             N144A — Ovary color: 143A — Seed/fruit: Seed and/or fruit             production has not been observed. -   Disease and pest resistance: Plants of the Petunia named ‘Petelred’     have not been noted to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to     Petunia. -   Garden performance: Plants of the Petunia named ‘Petelred’ have been     observed to have good garden performance. Plants of the Petunia     named ‘Petelred’ have been noted to tolerate rain, wind, and     temperatures from 0 to 30° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Petelred’, as substantially illustrated and described herein. 